The National Weather Service is warning people to stay out of the water at Chicago beaches. In other news: Crews will likely start building the project — complete with 25 affordable housing apartments — in June. Also in the news today: The measure, which would go into effect in 2023, now heads to the Illinois Senate. Also in the news today: Throwback Thursday: Before pools were built at Portage Park, neighbors flocked to a lagoon there. Also in the news today: A judge ruled that city officials must allow members of the public to weigh in at council meetings.

The two nurses held hostage at Delnor Hospital earlier this month have filed a federal lawsuit against Kane County, alleging authorities failed to properly restrain an inmate who went on to rape and torture one of them. Full Story

A $25 million study of a northern Route 53 extension will include all options, not just the parkway plan local leaders previously envisioned. The study will take four to five years, keeping the project on the front burner even though some Lake County leaders want it killed. Full Story

Video: The Joker, the newest ride at Six Flags Great America, adds a new twist to the happy combination of ripping speed and sheer terror that only roller coasters provide: spinning. Lots of spinning. Full Story

Ribfest in Naperville will host the final qualifier for the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Championship, giving the male and female winners a chance to compete at the national event. Full Story

Glen Ellyn neighbors have filed a lawsuit against the village and developers to try to block construction of a gas station near their homes. The legal fight comes after months of emotional debate, several protests and marathon public hearings on the project that calls for building a gas station and convenience store. Full Story

Chicago-based Me-TV FM, launched in 2015 on a low-power leased signal at WRME LP 87.7 and immediately embraced by a large and loyal audience of baby boomers, has signed a deal to to syndicate the soft rock/oldies format across the country. Full Story

Did you know adults may still struggle with ADHD symptoms even after being diagnosed and treated? New data from Shire at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) 170th Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA explores how ADHD symptoms impact adults in various settings. Learn More.

Featured Story

Thursday, May 25, 2017 Social factors often determine the health outcomes of patients, and more hospitals have made efforts to connect patients to necessary services, such as housing, food and transportation to medical appointments. But one New York health system is now addressing another unmet need for its most vulnerable and indigent patients: free legal services. Mount Sinai Health System recently launched the Mount Sinai Medical-Legal Partnership, an independent nonprofit organization, to address unmet needs of their patients who live well below the poverty line.

Top Stories

Thursday, May 25, 2017 A new study that mapped the spread of bacteria in a hospital’s first year of existence will help healthcare leaders better understand the dynamics of a hospital’s microbiome and actions they can take to decrease harmful contact.

Thursday, May 25, 2017 Though the Congressional Budget Office projects that millions could lose their insurance coverage under the American Health Care Act, Republican leaders are focusing on the good news in the report: deficit reductions and lower premiums. Meanwhile, industry groups say those potential positives don’t change their concerns about the costs of so many Americans losing their insurance.

This FierceHealthcare webinar will focus on how providers are deploying mobile tools and programs to ensure the health of their patient populations. Reserve Your Spot Today!

News of Note

The University of Chicago Medicine received a $100 million donation, the largest single gift in its history, to research how the immune system, bacteria in the body and genetics can work together to keep people healthy. Chicago Tribune article Cleveland Clinic announced that it has signed a letter of intent for Union Hospital to join its health system. Representatives of Cleveland Clinic and the Union Hospital Board of Trustees will begin the process to finalize a definitive agreement and seek regulatory approvals so that Union Hospital can become part of Cleveland Clinic no later than Jan. 1, 2018. Announcement Calais Regional Hospital will close its obstetrics department, a move that will leave Maine’s Washington County with just one hospital fully equipped to deliver newborns. Bangor Daily News article

Resources

Presented By: Oracle In this white paper, we explore the insurance industry’s shift from rejecting the cloud to moving its most important business functions and sensitive data to the cloud along with the strategic benefits of cloud solutions in the insurance industry.

Presented By: Oracle Companies capable of moving swiftly will manage to stay profitable. That’s why digital transformation must be the top priority for health insurers. In this white paper, we offer a practical strategy for healthcare payers to transform their organizations cost effectively with minimal risk: one component at a time.

Presented By: Oracle With the steady increase of healthcare costs, health insurance payers are faced with a multitude of new challenges. Learn how Oracle Health Insurance Components can boost auto-adjudication and give you the flexibility you require to achieve operational excellence.

Presented By: B.E. Smith With demand for clinical executives increasing and finding these key leaders becoming more challenging, senior executives are shifting their focus to developing talent already in the organization. This latest industry report examines how healthcare providers are building their clinical leadership pipeline from within the organization.

Sponsored by: Scrypt This guide exists to shed some light on some of the ‘gray areas’ of HIPAA. This guide will help anyone concerned with HIPAA compliance gain a better understanding of the areas which may be a cause for confusion or concern.

Sponsored by: Scrypt Is texting putting your business at risk for a HIPAA violation? The following steps are intended to help organizations appropriately manage the use of mobile devices in the healthcare setting.

Presented By: Cardinal Health Industry trends like personalized medicine and healthcare consumerism are changing how care is delivered and received, which will continue challenging the healthcare supply chain. Download this complimentary Whitepaper to learn five traits that supply chain professionals must develop in order to succeed.

Sponsored By: American Express As providers continue to invest in new revenue opportunities, such as “microhospitals" and mergers, new challenges are presented. Download this eBook today to learn about best practices, and review case studies for managing today’s complex supply chain and accounts payable processes.

Presented By: HealthStream The level of employee engagement in your organization can impact everything from your patient experience to your clinical outcomes. But how can you create a culture that not only keeps employees engaged, but inspires them to deliver the best care? Download our free eBook with valuable information on this important issue facing healthcare leaders.

Sponsored By: DocuSign The U.S. Department of Justice has collected upwards of $17 billion in settlements from the healthcare industry since 2009, including more than $2 billion from a single life sciences company.

Presented By: MedeAnalytics Today’s healthcare landscape is changing. Whether that change comes from new reimbursement models, provider consolidation, or consumerism, all players in the healthcare ecosystem must focus on delivering a satisfying healthcare experience at a reasonable cost.

Presented By: B.E. Smith 66% of executives are concerned about the healthcare workforce. So why do two-thirds have a positive outlook for 2017? A new report highlights the challenges and reasons for optimism.

Did you know adults may still struggle with ADHD symptoms even after being diagnosed and treated? New data from Shire at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) 170th Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA explores how ADHD symptoms impact adults in various settings. Learn More.

Featured Story

Thursday, May 25, 2017 MACRA is changing healthcare with a new payment system that rewards participating Medicare doctors for the quality of outcomes they demonstrate. The program will present challenges for physician practices, Anne Phelps, principal and U.S. healthcare regulatory leader at Deloitte, told FierceHealthcare.

This week’s sponsor is MGMA.

Top Stories

Thursday, May 25, 2017 A Houston-area psychiatrist is the latest person convicted for his role in a $158 million Medicare fraud scheme in which patients were admitted into intensive psychiatric programs. After a five-day trial, Riaz Mazcuri, 65, of Harris County, Texas, was convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of healthcare fraud, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017 A virtual electronic health record (EHR) is helping medical residents at the Indiana University School of Medicine navigate the complexities of providing healthcare to geriatric patients.

Friday, May 19, 2017 Social factors often determine the health outcomes of patients, and more hospitals have made efforts to connect patients to necessary services, such as housing, food and transportation to medical appointments. But one New York health system is now addressing another unmet need for its most vulnerable and indigent patients: free legal services. Mount Sinai Health System recently launched the Mount Sinai Medical-Legal Partnership, an independent nonprofit organization, to address unmet needs of their patients who live well below the poverty line.

Thursday, May 25, 2017 Though the Congressional Budget Office projects that millions could lose their insurance coverage under the American Health Care Act, Republican leaders are focusing on the good news in the report: deficit reductions and lower premiums. Meanwhile, industry groups say those potential positives don’t change their concerns about the costs of so many Americans losing their insurance.

Join PwC for Medical Cost Trend: Behind the Numbers 2018. During this webinar, we will share our projection of medical cost trend in the employer insurance market for the coming year and what it means for health industry players.Register Now!

News of Note

Some surgeons are posting procedures on social media. While useful in educating patients, one doctor warns about crossing an ethical line. KGUN9 report Female physicians get called “doctor" less often than their male colleagues, including when introduced at internal medicine grand rounds, said Julia Files, M.D., physician and associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic Arizona in Scottsdale. Journal of Women’s Health study A study released this week found that the reason patients gave for wanting to end their lives using assisted suicide had more to do with psychological suffering than physical suffering. New England Journal of Medicine study

Resources

Presented By: Oracle In this white paper, we explore the insurance industry’s shift from rejecting the cloud to moving its most important business functions and sensitive data to the cloud along with the strategic benefits of cloud solutions in the insurance industry.

Presented By: Oracle Companies capable of moving swiftly will manage to stay profitable. That’s why digital transformation must be the top priority for health insurers. In this white paper, we offer a practical strategy for healthcare payers to transform their organizations cost effectively with minimal risk: one component at a time.

Presented By: Oracle With the steady increase of healthcare costs, health insurance payers are faced with a multitude of new challenges. Learn how Oracle Health Insurance Components can boost auto-adjudication and give you the flexibility you require to achieve operational excellence.

Sponsored by: Scrypt This guide exists to shed some light on some of the ‘gray areas’ of HIPAA. This guide will help anyone concerned with HIPAA compliance gain a better understanding of the areas which may be a cause for confusion or concern.

Sponsored by: Scrypt Is texting putting your business at risk for a HIPAA violation? The following steps are intended to help organizations appropriately manage the use of mobile devices in the healthcare setting.

Sponsored By: DocuSign The U.S. Department of Justice has collected upwards of $17 billion in settlements from the healthcare industry since 2009, including more than $2 billion from a single life sciences company.

Featured Story

Thursday, May 25, 2017 President Donald Trump wants to increase FDA medical device user fees by more than $300 million in 2018, a move that has raised muted concern—and some bewilderment—from the digital health and medical technology industries as lawmakers prepare to vote on a new user fee reauthorization bill. Under Trump’s proposed budget, medical device user fees would jump to $439 billion in 2018, more than three times the current levels.

Top Stories

Wednesday, May 24, 2017 Education, socioeconomic status, housing insecurity and education are among the well-established social determinants of health. One informatics association believes internet access should be included as well. In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) urged the federal agency to take steps to improve internet access for certain populations to allow for widespread use of health technology.

Thursday, May 25, 2017 Widespread implementation of EHRs has left the majority of physicians spending more time at a keyboard than with patients. A massive shift toward paying for value over volume could relieve that burden. Although physician practices and hospitals have turned to several short-term solutions, a significant shift toward value-based payments will force EHRs to evolve to a more patient-centered tool.

Thursday, May 25, 2017 A virtual electronic health record (EHR) is helping medical residents at the Indiana University School of Medicine navigate the complexities of providing healthcare to geriatric patients.

News of Note

Digital health futurist Maneesh Juneja offered an honest and deeply personal account about how his perspective of digital health has changed following his sister’s death three months ago. Juneja noted that for all the improvements new technology can make in healthcare, it can never replace the human touch. Blog post Lucia Savage, former ONC chief privacy officer and current chief privacy and regulatory officer at Omada Health, was none too pleased to see that her old office was being dissolved in ONC’s budget, lamenting on Twitter that privacy and security aren’t given the same priority as other health IT issues. Tweet Former U.S. Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil said the AHCA will “derail" precision medicine research and access to health data if patients are scared to share their genetic information out of fear they will be classified with a pre-existing condition. NewCo Shift post

Resources

Presented By: Oracle In this white paper, we explore the insurance industry’s shift from rejecting the cloud to moving its most important business functions and sensitive data to the cloud along with the strategic benefits of cloud solutions in the insurance industry.

Presented By: Oracle Companies capable of moving swiftly will manage to stay profitable. That’s why digital transformation must be the top priority for health insurers. In this white paper, we offer a practical strategy for healthcare payers to transform their organizations cost effectively with minimal risk: one component at a time.

Presented By: Oracle With the steady increase of healthcare costs, health insurance payers are faced with a multitude of new challenges. Learn how Oracle Health Insurance Components can boost auto-adjudication and give you the flexibility you require to achieve operational excellence.

Sponsored by: Scrypt This guide exists to shed some light on some of the ‘gray areas’ of HIPAA. This guide will help anyone concerned with HIPAA compliance gain a better understanding of the areas which may be a cause for confusion or concern.

Sponsored by: Scrypt Is texting putting your business at risk for a HIPAA violation? The following steps are intended to help organizations appropriately manage the use of mobile devices in the healthcare setting.

Sponsored By: American Express As providers continue to invest in new revenue opportunities, such as “microhospitals" and mergers, new challenges are presented. Download this eBook today to learn about best practices, and review case studies for managing today’s complex supply chain and accounts payable processes.

Presented By: Cardinal Health Industry trends like personalized medicine and healthcare consumerism are changing how care is delivered and received, which will continue challenging the healthcare supply chain. Download this complimentary Whitepaper to learn five traits that supply chain professionals must develop in order to succeed.

Sponsored By: DocuSign The U.S. Department of Justice has collected upwards of $17 billion in settlements from the healthcare industry since 2009, including more than $2 billion from a single life sciences company.

Featured Story

Thursday, May 25, 2017 Though the Congressional Budget Office projects that millions could lose their insurance coverage under the American Health Care Act, Republican leaders are focusing on the good news in the report: deficit reductions and lower premiums. Meanwhile, industry groups say those potential positives don’t change their concerns about the costs of so many Americans losing their insurance.

This week’s sponsor is HMS.

Top Stories

Wednesday, May 24, 2017 The Congressional Budget Office has released its score of the latest version of the American Health Care Act, and it projects that 23 million people will lose insurance coverage by 2026 if the bill becomes law. This is lower than previous estimates, which suggested that 24 million would lose coverage over the next 10 years.

Thursday, May 25, 2017 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City announced it will not offer individual Affordable Care Act exchange plans in its 32-county service area in Kansas and Missouri in 2018. That leaves about 19,000 people with no exchange plan choices unless another insurer steps in.

Thursday, May 25, 2017 Two Rivers Insurance Co., which is based in Burlington, Iowa, denied allegations that it inflated the amount spent on premiums for plans purchased through Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, but the state’s Insurance Division determined that the group “engaged in unfair and deceptive acts and practices," according to court documents.

Thursday, May 25, 2017 A Houston-area psychiatrist is the latest person convicted for his role in a $158 million Medicare fraud scheme in which patients were admitted into intensive psychiatric programs. After a five-day trial, Riaz Mazcuri, 65, of Harris County, Texas, was convicted by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of healthcare fraud, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Thursday, May 25, 2017 The DOJ announced four arrests in an insider trading scheme based on confidential information obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

This week’s sponsor is DocuSign.

White Paper | Secure Document Workflows in Drug Development

FDA has increased scrutiny of the integrity of data generated by biopharmaceutical companies and their suppliers, focusing on analytical laboratory results, batch records, quality procedures, and other documentation related to the development, scale up, analysis, and manufacture of drug products. Read More.

News of Note

Health Care Services Corp., which is the parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield in five states, earned $869 million in profit in the first quarter of 2017, reversing more than $442 million in losses on the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges. Axios article Native Americans could be significantly impacted by being denied expanded Medicaid through the Indian Health Service. STAT article As debate continues to swirl about healthcare reform, California’s public radio station took a dive into the coverage that the state’s congressional representatives have through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. KQED report

Resources

Presented By: Oracle In this white paper, we explore the insurance industry’s shift from rejecting the cloud to moving its most important business functions and sensitive data to the cloud along with the strategic benefits of cloud solutions in the insurance industry.

Presented By: Oracle Companies capable of moving swiftly will manage to stay profitable. That’s why digital transformation must be the top priority for health insurers. In this white paper, we offer a practical strategy for healthcare payers to transform their organizations cost effectively with minimal risk: one component at a time.

Presented By: Oracle With the steady increase of healthcare costs, health insurance payers are faced with a multitude of new challenges. Learn how Oracle Health Insurance Components can boost auto-adjudication and give you the flexibility you require to achieve operational excellence.

In this 30-minute discussion, learn about three best practices your health plan can implement to ensure in-home assessments support improved health outcomes, as well as more accurate identification of member conditions for risk adjustment and HEDIS submissions.

Sponsored by: Scrypt This guide exists to shed some light on some of the ‘gray areas’ of HIPAA. This guide will help anyone concerned with HIPAA compliance gain a better understanding of the areas which may be a cause for confusion or concern.

Sponsored by: Scrypt Is texting putting your business at risk for a HIPAA violation? The following steps are intended to help organizations appropriately manage the use of mobile devices in the healthcare setting.

Sponsored By: DocuSign The U.S. Department of Justice has collected upwards of $17 billion in settlements from the healthcare industry since 2009, including more than $2 billion from a single life sciences company.

CHICAGO'S CRAFT BEER ATLAS: Looking for a tour? Or just your next favorite IPA? Our map can guide you. In other news: The loss of 8,638 people was the largest of any American city last year. Also in the news today: Ald. Lopez slammed the flyers found in Pullman, Roseland and on the West Side. Also in the news today: The citywide collection of household items for veterans runs from Memorial Day through 4th of July. Also in the news today: To stop a dive in ridership, Metra is looking to shift more trains to Hyde Park.

The resort is an earthy oasis in the midst of a vast protected forest. The weather conditions and landscape are nothing that you would expect from Belize: low humidity, pine trees and oaks, rocky paths, mountain streams.

Discover the breathtaking beauty and riches found along the Bordeaux region on the Garonne river in France on an award-winning AmaWaterways river cruise. Now your clients can enjoy savings up to $1,500 off per stateroom on select itineraries!

CHICAGO'S CRAFT BEER ATLAS: Looking for a tour? Or just your next favorite IPA? Our map can guide you. In other news: Developers are buying long-vacant buildings and planning market-rate apartments. Also in the news today: The loss of 8,638 people is the largest of any American city. Also in the news today: Amtrak and City Hall have picked a developer for the ambitious $1 billion project near the Loop. Also in the news today: Wicker Park's main intersection needs a nickname, but not THAT nickname, an official said. Also in the news today: The Castle's southeast turret is being held together by steel bands until a long-term solution is found. Also in the news today: Ald. Lopez slammed the flyers found in Pullman, Roseland and on the West Side.